1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to ceramic plate structures, and more particularly, to a ceramic plate structure applicable to touch panels.
2. Description of Related Art
Due to the widespread use of smartphones, tablets, and the like, there is increasingly robust performance of touch panels and increasingly high demand for touch panels. In general, due to their cost efficiency, transparent glass plates and transparent plastic plates, among others, are important constituent elements of conventional touch panels. However, glass plates are not only brittle but also susceptible to scratches to the detriment of transparency and appearance. To render conventional touch panels resistant to scratches, the prior art discloses a scratchproof film disposed on a glass plate or a plastic plate by coating or plating. Nonetheless, the scratchproof film is not rigid enough to be effective.
To protect a touch panel, users affix conventional adhesive tape thereto, by disposing a plastic film on the transparent glass plate or transparent plastic plate of the touch panel. The conventional plastic film is generally of two types, namely high-transmittance film and frosted film. Although the high-transmittance film ensures that the touch panel is capable of clear display, the high-transmittance film is soft and thus susceptible to fingerprints and smears to the detriment of its appearance. As a result, the high-transmittance film has to be changed very often. The frosted film has a specific pattern on the surface and thus is insusceptible to fingerprints and smears. However, the frosted film manifests low transmittance, thereby indirectly deteriorating the display functionality of the touch panel.
To render the conventional touch panels more resistant to scratches, more scratchproof, high in transmittance, and less susceptible to fingerprints and smears, the prior art further proposes monocrystalline sapphire (wherein the monocrystalline sapphire described hereunder comprises aluminum oxide) be used as a major constituent element of the conventional touch panel and further discloses a sticker made from sapphire, wherein the sapphire sticker is disposed on the touch panel in the same manner as the conventional glass sticker or plastic adhesive tape is. Although the sapphire sticker surpasses the conventional transparent glass plate and transparent plastic plate in transmittance, thermal conductivity coefficient, electrical insulation, mechanical properties, rigidity, resistance to wear and tear, and resistance to wind erosion, the sapphire sticker is not suitable for mass production because of high investment costs of its processing process equipment, high power consumption incurred in its processing process, its long production cycle, and shortage of high-purity raw materials. Furthermore, unlike the conventional plastic adhesive tape which is soft and flexible, sapphire is rigid and thus adds to touch panel processing costs. In conclusion, in view of the aforesaid drawbacks of the prior art, there is still room for improvement of the prior art.